Speeches

Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Stephen Schwartz at
The American Chamber of Commerce
Annual General Meeting

Labourdonnais Hotel, Port Louis
March 15, 2006 
 
American Chamber of Commerce President Lee Koenig,
Members of the American Chamber of Commerce,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
 
The U.S. Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce have worked closely together since AmCham’s founding in 2001.  While we each have a multitude of goals we share the all important objective of expanding U.S.-Mauritian commercial relations. 

I know we are joined in this endeavor by the Honorable Minister and his government.  Prime Minister Ramgoolam’s February visit to Washington left no doubt that both governments want to further develop their economic and commercial relationship.  As I speak, there are four American experts in different disciplines of government finance here to help the Mauritian government put in place the systems and practices needed to overcome the financial and budgetary challenges it confronts. 

Minister Dulloo has been in the forefront of developing the bilateral relationship.  In his second week in office he led the Mauritian delegation to the AGOA Forum in Dakar where he co-chaired panels with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the Deputy Secretary of Commerce.  Minister Dulloo led the Mauritian delegation to the Doha negotiations where he worked extremely well with the U.S. delegation.  We see continued Mauritian leadership in these talks as vital to their successful conclusion by the end of 2006.  History has shown that opening up markets and eliminating barriers to trade leads to a more dynamic economy and creates wealth.

The one issue on which U.S.-Mauritian commerce has had difficulty has been over the Third Country Fabric derogation.  The U.S. Government supports the desire of the Mauritian government to again benefit from this provision, but so far we have collectively been unable to convince key members of the U.S. Congress.  With the entire provision set to expire in 2007, there is progressively less and less value in seeking the benefit.  Indeed, efforts to obtain access to the Third Country Fabric provision need to be weighed against the opportunity cost of pursuing new investments and trade benefits. 

It is time to look forward, not backward, and sell the American business community on the attractiveness of doing future business in and from Mauritius. From my vantage point, the Board of Investment and Enterprise Mauritius have been particularly energetic and creative in seeking new and durable solutions.  The U.S. Embassy is collaborating with both organizations and expects this to grow in intensity and productivity in the coming years.

This is where I believe AmCham can make a difference, as a value-added interface between the business community in the United States and that in Mauritius.  The Chamber should aspire to offer its members benefits that make doing business with the U.S. and Mauritius more efficient and more profitable and impel people and companies to join the Chamber. 

While the distance may be great, the U.S. market has not been fully explored nor have potential U.S. investors been properly targeted.  U.S. is a huge, complex, and distant market.  While it is understandable that considering how to penetrate the U.S. market is daunting, Mauritius needs to address the potential the U.S. offers.

AmCham has three natural allies in this effort, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the U.S. Embassy, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  

AGOA is an asset because it provides duty-free access to U.S. markets for over six thousand goods which can help Mauritius diversify its economy and its exports.  The Embassy is an asset because we will do whatever it takes to make connections and clear the way for business to get done.  Finally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is an asset because it has a network and programs throughout the United States that can be put to use for the mutual benefit of American and Mauritian business.

In thinking of the challenges Mauritius faces and how the AmCham can be most effective, I reviewed the stated objectives of the Chamber in Mauritius.  I did not need to look any further as these objectives provide the framework for the Chamber to help Mauritius facilitate new trade opportunities. Let me cite two of the objectives.

First • To assist American and Mauritian companies looking for partners, distributors and agents.
The Chamber can provide the link between Mauritian and American companies to facilitate partnerships.  The Chamber should know U.S. businesses and markets or be familiar with contacts and resources that can provide information on U.S. businesses and markets.  I challenge the Chamber to fulfill its goal of being a regional hub and collaborate with other Chambers in the region. 

A second objective is  • To provide a forum for matters pertinent to the membership by sponsoring a regular program of speakers, industry visits, and other activities.

The Chamber's successful business lunch program illustrates its commitment to this objective.  AmCham could take this one step further and try to generate new business and membership in key sectors.  Partnering with existing organizations might be of value to all parties. 

One final thought. The past year was marked by our joint collaboration to host a regional conference of American Chambers of Commerce.  I was deeply disappointed when the event was postponed and hope that it will indeed take place in September as it is tentatively scheduled. 

In retrospect, we put our eggs in the wrong basket. Daeman Harris came to Mauritius with two principal ideas: First, to explore ways to strengthen AmCham as a link between the U.S. and Mauritius.  Second, to convene a conference in Mauritius of AmCham members from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.  I think all of us focused exclusively on the conference to the detriment of developing programs to serve as a bridge.  Ideally, both avenues could have been pursued and I encourage the Chamber to attempt this going forward.

I challenge you, the members of the American Chamber of Commerce, to build upon your successes and go forth to fulfill your stated objectives which we all share.

Thank you.